Make an Image Black and White
Convert color photos to grayscale with brightness that matches how your eyes see color, or dial the intensity down for a muted, partly desaturated look.
- On-device
- No sign-up
- Batch
- Free, no watermark
Drop images on the plate
or paste with Ctrl/⌘ V
Processed on this device
How it works
- 01Drop, choose or paste your color photos.
- 02Set the intensity slider, watching the preview of the first image.
- 03Select Process to convert the batch.
- 04Download each file, or select Download all for a ZIP.
Why use this tool
Natural-looking tones
Gray values are weighted by perceived brightness (Rec. 709), so greens stay lighter than blues, as they appear in real life.
Partial desaturation
The intensity slider lets you keep a hint of color for a faded, film-like look instead of going fully monochrome.
Consistent across a set
Apply exactly the same treatment to every photo in a gallery so the series looks like it belongs together.
Supported formats
Use cases
Printing on a mono printer
Convert a document photo before printing so you can check contrast on screen instead of discovering faint text on paper.
Cohesive team portraits
Headshots taken in different rooms have clashing color casts. Black and white versions look consistent on an about page.
Muted backgrounds
Set intensity to around 60% to tone down a busy photo that sits behind text in a slide or banner.
Technical details
Pixellin calculates each gray value from the red, green and blue channels using Rec. 709 luminance weights, roughly 21% red, 72% green and 7% blue. A plain average of the three channels would make blue skies and red flowers look too bright and foliage too dark. At 100% intensity the result is fully gray; lower settings blend the gray version with the original colors. The output still uses three color channels, so file size often drops only a little. Transparency in PNG and WebP is kept, and you can save as JPG, PNG or WebP.
Your files stay with you
This tool runs entirely inside your browser using Web Workers and WebAssembly. Your images are never uploaded, never stored on a server and never used to train AI. Close the tab and they’re gone. Learn more
Frequently asked questions
Is grayscale the same as black and white?
In everyday use, yes. A “black and white” photo is really grayscale: it contains every shade from black to white. Pure black-and-white images with only two tones are a different thing, used for line art and stencils, and this tool doesn’t produce those.
Can I keep some of the color?
Yes. Lower the intensity slider and the grayscale version is blended with the original. Around 50% gives a washed-out, vintage feel; 80–90% leaves only a faint tint. Selective color, where one object stays colored, isn’t available.
Will a grayscale image be a smaller file?
Usually only slightly. The image is still saved with color channels, and the compressor handles gray data efficiently but not dramatically better. If file size matters most, compress the result afterward rather than relying on the grayscale step.
Can I turn a grayscale photo back into color?
Not from the converted file, because the color information is discarded. Keep your original. Since Pixellin never changes the file on your device and only creates a new download, the original is still where you left it.
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